The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

In the series, Conan escapes from slavery and acquires a magic sword from ancient Atlantis and is informed by his god Crom that he is destined to be a king "by his own hand" (a theme borrowed from earlier renditions) when he slays the evil sorcerer Hissah Zuhl (unique to this rendition). Zuhl (played by Jeremy Kemp) has effectively enslaved Conan's homeland, Cimmeria, and (through magical arts, trickery and threats) controls many surrounding lands. Hissah Zuhl is the primary antagonist of the series, responsible for the death of Conan's parents, and recurrent as the always just barely thwarted mastermind enemy.

Overall, the series focuses on Conan's vendetta against Hissah Zuhl (who figures in almost every episode, with a sarcastic reanimated skull as a clairvoyant servant), constantly seeking to kill Conan, and Zuhl's apparently endless horde of warriors, as well as vassal wizards and princes under Zuhl's control.